Vladimir SPIVAKOV and Moscow Virtuosifeaturing soprano Hibla GERZMAVA

ThursdayJune 8, 20178:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Roy Thomson HallToronto

This concert marks a highly anticipated Canadian debut of Metropolitan Opera and international opera star, soprano Hibla Gerzmava (“the warm-voiced soprano with affecting poise and strong-willed intensity” – New York Times). In this special performance, she joins our favorite guests: the legendary Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and Maestro Vladimir Spivakov. Moscow Virtuosi sell out around the world showering the audience with encore after encore and always “live up to their name” says New York Times.

The concert also features the Canadian debut of astonishing 14-year-old Israeli cellist Danielle Akta – a laureate of the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation.

Maestro Vladimir Spivakov and the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra are regular and beloved guests in Toronto and have been performing under Show One auspises since 2004. The New York Times calls the ensemble “first-class string performers”, while the Washington Post has hailed the Virtuosi as “a dramatically unified ensemble” with “a sound that would put many full orchestras to shame.” Maestro Spivakov, one of the world’s most prominent violinists and conductors, has led the ensemble since its founding in 1979.

Hibla Gerzmava rapidly established herself as a major force on the international opera stage since becoming the Grand Prix winner of the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition. Opera lovers have been impressed by Ms. Gerzmava’s voice in the Metropolitan Opera productions of Don Giovanni, Otello, Turandot, and Les Contes D’Hoffmann. Ms. Gerzmava sold out Carnegie Hall in the 2015 debut recital. As the New York describes her, Gerzmava is a “warm-voiced soprano with affecting poise and strong-willed intensity.” “Soprano Gerzmava shines brightly in Met’s ‘Turandot’,” exclaimed the New York Classical Review.

Cellist Danielle Akta, at 14 has already performed internationally with orchestras and in solo recitals in many countries. The recipient of many awards, she has been aided in her development through a grant from the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation. Born in Israel into a family of musicians, Danielle began to play the cello at age 4 at her own request, after listening to a recording of Jacqueline du Pré. She is currently studying at the Barenboim-Said Music Akademie in Berlin.